Welcome to May! As spring truly gets into its stride, the urge to tidy the garden and fire up the lawnmower can be strong. But what if hitting pause on the mowing routine for just one month could make a significant difference to the struggling wildlife on our doorstep? Welcome to No Mow May, a wonderfully simple, yet impactful campaign championed by the botanical charity Plantlife, encouraging everyone across the UK – from city dwellers to countryside residents – to lock up their lawnmowers and let the wildflowers bloom.
Here in London, and indeed across the nation, our green spaces are more vital than ever. As urban areas expand and natural habitats face pressure, our gardens, big or small, can become crucial stepping stones and refuges for nature. No Mow May offers an easy way for everyone with a patch of grass to contribute to a larger, national effort to support biodiversity. It’s about rethinking the traditional obsession with the perfect, bowling-green lawn and embracing a little wildness for the benefit of the birds, bees, butterflies, and countless other creatures that share our environment.
What Exactly is No Mow May?
The concept is beautifully straightforward: for the entire month of May, put your mower away. That’s it. No complex instructions, no expensive equipment needed. By simply letting your lawn grow, you allow the 'weeds' – which are often native wildflowers like daisies, dandelions, clover, selfheal, and buttercups – the chance to flower.
Plantlife launched this initiative to highlight the importance of lawns as potential habitats. While often viewed as purely ornamental, the millions of square kilometres of lawn space across the UK represent a vast, largely untapped resource for wildlife. The campaign encourages us to see our lawns not just as green carpets, but as mini-meadows teeming with potential.
Why is May the Magic Month?
May is a critical time for wildlife in the UK. Many pollinators, like bees and butterflies, are emerging from hibernation or their larval stages, desperately seeking food sources after the leaner months. Simultaneously, many important wildflowers are naturally programmed to bloom during this period. Allowing lawn flowers to bloom provides a vital early-season nectar buffet, fuelling these insects for the busy season of pollination ahead. By delaying the first cuts, we give these plants the chance to establish, flower, and even set seed, bolstering their populations for the future.
The Trouble with the Trimmed Lawn
A perfectly manicured, frequently mown lawn, while perhaps aesthetically pleasing to some, is often described as a 'green desert' for wildlife. Here’s why:
Lack of Food: Constant cutting prevents grasses and wildflowers from flowering, removing the primary source of nectar and pollen for bees, butterflies, hoverflies, moths, and beetles.
Habitat Loss: Short grass offers little shelter or protection for insects, amphibians like frogs and newts, or small mammals like hedgehogs and voles. It lacks the structural diversity that many creatures need to hide, hunt, and breed.
Monoculture: Many 'perfect' lawns are encouraged to be monocultures of specific grass species, often treated with herbicides to kill off 'weeds' (wildflowers) and pesticides to deter insects, further reducing biodiversity and potentially harming beneficial organisms.
Compaction & Runoff: Frequent mowing, especially with heavy machinery, can compact the soil, reducing aeration and water infiltration, which can worsen localised flooding during heavy rain.
Emissions & Noise: Petrol mowers contribute to air and noise pollution, while even electric mowers consume energy. Reducing mowing frequency cuts down on these environmental impacts.
How Does Letting it Grow Help Biodiversity? The Science Bit
Taking part in No Mow May isn't just a feel-good exercise; the benefits are tangible and backed by research:
A Nectar Feast: Plantlife's citizen science project, "Every Flower Counts," asks participants to count the flowers in a random square metre of their unmown lawn later in the season. Results have shown an astonishing increase in nectar production. Simple changes in mowing regimes, like embracing No Mow May, can result in lawns producing enough nectar for ten times more pollinators. Even common dandelions are powerhouses; Plantlife calculates that just eight dandelion flowers produce enough nectar sugar to meet an adult bumblebee's baseline energy needs. Collectively, lawns participating in the scheme produce vast quantities of food – one year's survey results indicated enough daily nectar sugar to support 2.1 million honeybees!
Creating Shelter: Longer grass provides crucial cover for insects to hide from predators, complete their life cycles, and overwinter. Ground beetles, spiders, and larvae thrive in the denser thatch, forming the base of a complex food web that can attract larger predators like birds and hedgehogs. The taller grass creates a more humid microclimate at ground level, benefiting amphibians and invertebrates.
Boosting Plant Diversity: Letting the lawn grow allows slower-growing wildflowers that are suppressed by regular mowing a chance to flourish. You might be surprised what appears – common species like white clover, bird's-foot trefoil, selfheal, daisies, and buttercups are common, but rarer finds like meadow saxifrage and eyebright have also been recorded in lawns during Plantlife surveys. Over 200 plant species have been found flowering on lawns!
Supporting Life Cycles: Many insects, including some butterflies and moths, lay their eggs on specific grasses or wildflowers. Constant mowing can destroy these eggs or the larvae that hatch from them. Letting the grass grow allows these life cycles to complete undisturbed.
Improving Soil: Less disturbance allows soil structure to improve naturally. Deeper roots from longer grasses and wildflowers can help aerate the soil, improve drainage, and support a healthier soil microbiome. Healthy soil can also sequester more carbon.
Reducing Your Footprint: Less mowing means less fuel consumption (for petrol mowers), lower electricity bills (for electric ones), and reduced noise pollution, creating a more peaceful environment for both humans and wildlife.
Addressing the Concerns: "Won't it Look Messy?" and Other Worries
The 'Messy' Look: This is often the biggest hurdle. Try reframing it: it's not 'messy', it's 'managed for wildlife'. Aesthetics are subjective and changing perceptions is part of the process. If a completely unmown lawn isn't for you or your neighbours, consider compromises:
Mow Paths: Cut paths through the longer grass. This creates structure, allows access, and frames the wilder areas, making it look intentional.
Mow Edges: Keep the edges of the lawn neatly trimmed for a tidier appearance while letting the central area grow.
Designated Areas: Leave just a section or strip of your lawn unmown. Even a small patch makes a difference.
Attracting 'Pests'? A more diverse lawn ecosystem tends to be more balanced. While you'll attract more insects, many of these will be beneficial predators like ground beetles, spiders, and hoverfly larvae (which eat aphids). Attracting pollinators doesn't automatically mean attracting unwanted pests. Avoiding pesticides allows natural predators to keep populations in check.
Damaging the Lawn? Grass is incredibly resilient. Letting it grow long for a month won't harm it. When you do decide to mow again:
Cut High First: Set your mower blades to the highest setting for the first cut.
The One-Third Rule: Never remove more than one-third of the grass blade length in a single mow. This prevents shocking the grass.
Gradual Reduction: Gradually lower the cutting height over subsequent mows if you want it shorter.
Yellowing: Don't panic if the lawn looks a bit yellow or pale after the first cut. The lower parts of the grass haven't seen sunlight. It will green up again as it recovers. Avoid fertilising immediately, especially in hot, dry weather, as this can scorch the grass. Let it recover naturally.
Council Mowing: You might see councils mowing verges during May. While many, are embracing No Mow May principles on designated wildflower sites, operational needs (like visibility splays for road safety) or existing contracts might mean some areas are still cut.
Beyond No Mow May: Making a Lasting Difference
No Mow May is a fantastic starting point, but why stop there? Consider these actions for year-round wildlife support:
Reduce Mowing Frequency: Instead of weekly, try mowing every 4-8 weeks ("Let It Bloom June" and beyond). This allows low-growing flowers like clover and selfheal to bloom repeatedly between cuts.
Create Different Lengths: Adopt Plantlife's "layered approach" – keep some areas short for recreation, mow some areas monthly, and leave other patches completely unmown throughout the summer and even into winter. This caters to different species. Taller flowers like oxeye daisy, field scabious, and knapweed need longer grass.
Create a Mini-Meadow: Convert part or all of your lawn into a permanent wildflower meadow. This involves specific preparation and seeding but offers huge rewards for biodiversity.
Ditch the Chemicals: Avoid using herbicides, pesticides, and synthetic fertilisers. These harm wildlife and soil health. Embrace organic gardening principles.
Plant Native Species: Add native wildflower plugs or seeds suitable for your soil type to increase diversity.
Provide Water: A simple bird bath or shallow dish of water with pebbles helps birds and insects.
Add Other Habitats: Log piles, bug hotels, and dense shrubs offer additional shelter and nesting opportunities.
How to Join In
Participating is easy:
Stop Mowing: Simply put the mower away for May.
Spread the Word: Talk to neighbours, friends, and family. Share your participation on social media using #NoMowMay. Plantlife even offers downloadable signs for your lawn or window.
Count Your Flowers: Later in May (usually the last week), take part in Plantlife’s "Every Flower Counts" survey to see how much nectar your lawn is producing and contribute to national data!
The Bigger Picture: Why This Matters
The UK's pollinators are in trouble. Long-term data collected by the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology and analysed by JNCC indicates a significant decline in the overall distribution of pollinating insects since 1980, with 42% of species becoming less widespread compared to only 19% becoming more widespread. Hoverflies have been particularly hard-hit, showing a 44% decrease in distribution. While some wild bee species have shown recent increases, the overall picture remains concerning. Habitat loss, including the disappearance of 97% of our wildflower meadows since the 1930s, is a major driver of these declines.
Our lawns, collectively, represent a huge land area. By managing them more sympathetically, starting with No Mow May, we can create a network of nectar-rich pit stops and vital habitats across the country, helping to reverse these worrying trends.
Take the Pledge
This May, give your mower a rest. Embrace the beauty of a slightly wilder lawn. Watch as daisies, dandelions, clover, and perhaps some surprises push through the green, attracting buzzing bees and fluttering butterflies. It’s a small change in routine that delivers huge rewards for nature. Let your lawn join the No Mow Movement and become part of the solution for Britain's biodiversity crisis. Happy No Mowing!
Useful Resources:
Plantlife (No Mow May Campaign & Every Flower Counts): https://www.plantlife.org.uk/campaigns/nomowmay/
The Wildlife Trusts (Wildlife Gardening Advice): https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/gardening
RSPB (Wildlife Gardening & Planting Plans): https://www.google.com/search?q=https://www.rspb.org.uk/helping-nature/what-you-can-do/activities/create-a-wildlife-friendly-garden/ & https://www.google.com/search?q=https://www.rspb.org.uk/helping-nature/what-you-can-do/activities/planting-plan-for-wildlife-gardens/
Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) (Lawn Care & Wildlife Gardening): https://www.google.com/search?q=https://www.rhs.org.uk/wildlife/wildlife-in-your-garden & https://www.rhs.org.uk/lawns
Garden Organic (Organic Gardening Advice): https://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/expert-advice